The present invention relates to a new and improved apparatus for sorting substantially conical bobbin tubes and to a method of using such apparatus for supplying a plurality of substantially conical bobbin tubes to a bobbin tube transport belt of a ring spinning or ring twisting machine.
In its more particular aspects, the present invention relates specifically to a new and improved apparatus for sorting substantially conical bobbin tubes, which comprises a transporting device with at least one trough-shaped transporting pocket, which together with an individual bobbin tube each placed therein is movable transversely to its longitudinal dimension, and which apparatus furthermore comprises means for shifting the bobbin tube placed in the transporting pocket in the one or in the opposite direction of its longitudinal dimension, depending on the relative position of the bobbin tube base end and the bobbin tube tip end.
On textile machines bobbin tubes are used in many manners for winding yarns or threads, or similar items, thereon. It generally proves advantageous to apply bobbin tubes of conical shape. Such bobbin tubes are to be presented in the correct position if they are to be mechanically placed into the machine. In particular, the position of the bobbin tube tips must be always the same with respect to the bobbin tube foot, i.e. the bobbin tubes are to be presented at the insertion point in the same orientation or oriented with the foot ends to the same side.
The apparatus according to the invention is used for this purpose, i.e. is used for sorting bobbin tubes, the foot ends of which are not yet oriented to the same side.
In the operation of e.g. ring spinning or ring twisting machines such bobbin tubes consecutively are placed onto the transporting belt of an automatic doffing device and later on are carried away again as wound bobbin tubes. Placement of the bobbin tubes is effected automatically, the bobbin tubes being taken from a storage receptacle. In the receptacle the bobbin tubes are arranged parallel, but not oriented with the same ends to the same side. As the conical bobbin tubes are placed onto the transporting belt, the bobbin tube ends with the large diameter (bobbin tube foot ends) are to be placed onto the pegs of the transporting belt. An important use of the inventive apparatus is the sorting of the bobbin tubes for the purpose of arranging the bobbin tubes in positions with the same end type oriented to the same side and of placing them onto the transporting belt.
From the Swiss Patents No. 457.233 and No. 507.863, and from the German Patent DOS No. 2.003.594 devices to be used for this purpose have become known. They show, however, the disadvantage that they are unsuitable for bobbin tubes of different diameter. The guide edges, or the kick-out levers respectively, according to these publications, which effect a lateral shifting movement of the bobbin tubes, according to these patents are fixed with respect to their height position, and thus cannot not be adapted to different bobbin tube diameters.
An improvement of these conditions is effected using a device acording to Swiss Patent Application No. 6170/78. In this arrangement the height position of the guide edges is determined by a rod, which contacts the center zone of the bobbin tube, its height position thus being determined by the mean bobbin tube diameter. Experience has shown, however, that the bobbin tubes are slowed in their shifting movement by the rod contacting them, which is undesirable, as the reliability of the function is impaired in this manner. If guide edges are used, it furthermore can occur that a bobbin tube foot end, which is damaged, can penetrate under the guide edge or can be jammed.